Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy · Combine OPM’s intranet – Theo – and external web...

CIO-01598-06

United StateSOffice Of PerSOnnel ManageMent

Chief Information Officer1900 E Street, NW

Washington, DC 20415

June 2011

Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy

Version 1.0

OPM Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy (LKSS) describes OPM’s vision to “become

America’s model employer for the 21st Century” and fulfill its mission of recruiting, retaining

and honoring an excellent workforce to serve the American people.

Through the LKSS, we will:

Establish a sustainable culture of learning and collaboration by primarily focusing on

OPM’s people and processes. We will start making this cultural shift by establishing

communities of practice (CoPs) that use action learning to solve organizational

problems and spread innovation.

Stand up knowledge sharing tools as they come to be needed to support the CoPs

instead of starting with a “solution.”

Tie communities of practice to succession planning and the urgent need to capture

the knowledge of departing highly skilled OPM employees.

Combine OPM’s intranet – Theo – and external web site into an easily expandable,

collaborative knowledge sharing platform.

Measure the effectiveness of the LKSS in both transforming OPM and fulfilling the

agency’s strategic goals.

The LKSS flows from the Open Culture Plan and the Communication and Collaboration Strategy

in that their shared goals fulfill the objectives of OPM’s Strategic Plan to bring openness,

transparency, and collaboration to the agency for the benefit of employees and the American

public that we serve.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... i

1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 About This Document ....................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Knowledge Management ................................................................................................. 1

1.2.1 How Knowledge Sharing Supports OPM’s Strategic Plan ......................................... 2

1.3 Background of the Open Government Team and the Flagship Initiative ........................ 3

1.4 Culture Plan Summary ...................................................................................................... 4

1.5 Communication and Collaboration Plan Summary .......................................................... 5

2 WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE SHARING? ......................................................................................... 5

2.1 Explicit and Tacit Knowledge ............................................................................................ 6

2.2 Strategy for Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Sharing ........................................................... 7

2.3 OPM’s Current Knowledge Management/Sharing Maturity Level .................................. 8

2.4 Organizational Structure .................................................................................................. 9

3 COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE .............................................................................................. 10

3.1 Process for Creating and Growing CoPs ......................................................................... 10

3.2 Action Learning and Communities of Practice ............................................................... 12

4 SUCCESSION PLANNING ...................................................................................................... 13

5 KNOWLEDGE SHARING TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................ 14

5.1 THEO 2.0 ......................................................................................................................... 14

5.2 FAQs ............................................................................................................................... 15

5.3 Enhanced Directory ........................................................................................................ 15

5.4 Document Management and Records Management .................................................... 15

5.5 Learning Connection ...................................................................................................... 15

5.6 Idea Factory .................................................................................................................... 16

5.7 Mentor Connect ............................................................................................................. 16

5.8 Content Management .................................................................................................... 16

5.9 Business Analytics and Process Intelligence .................................................................. 16


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5.10 Collaboration Platform for CoPs ................................................................................. 17

6 MEASURING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................ 17

7 MARKETING THE KNOWLEDGE SHARING PROGRAM ......................................................... 18

8 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 19

9 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 21

APPENDIX – 2006 SURVEY OF OPM KEY KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND KM STRATEGIES .................. 22


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List of Tables

Table 1: Mapping OPM's Strategic Goals to the LKSS ..................................................................... 2

Table 3: Marketing Activity Matrix ............................................................................................... 19


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List of Figures

Figure 1: Open Government Governance Structure ....................................................................... 3

Figure 2: Converting Tacit Knowledge into Explicit ........................................................................ 7

Figure 3: Knowledge Management Maturity Model ...................................................................... 9

Figure 4: Supporting CoPs with a Collaboration Platform ............................................................ 12


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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 About This Document

This document describes OPM’s Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy (LKSS). The purpose

of the LKSS is to describe knowledge sharing and recommend activities that will create a

learning and collaborative culture within OPM and with external stakeholders. We also discuss

the supporting activities of succession planning, change management, performance

management, knowledge sharing metrics, and marketing knowledge management. To realize

the principles of Open Government, we need to support a culture that values and encourages

learning and collaboration across all levels within OPM and with all of our stakeholders. OPM is

unique in that we influence almost every Federal agency and impact American citizens

simultaneously. Through the recommendations in this strategy, we can better engage our

stakeholders by becoming more transparent, participatory, and collaborative through the

continuous development and improvement of OPM’s employees and processes.

1.2 Knowledge Management

Knowledge management (KM) facilitates the processes by which knowledge is created, shared

and used in organizations. It is not necessarily about making major investments in technology

and sophisticated software applications, or establishing a new office to oversee organizational

KM efforts, or managing all knowledge. It is about managing the knowledge that is most

important to the organization and using that knowledge in ways that allow employees to work

smarter, resulting in production and/or quality improvements throughout the organization.

There are many ways of looking at KM and different organizations will take different

approaches. Creating a knowledge environment usually requires changing organizational

values and culture, adapting individual employees’ behaviors and work patterns, and providing

people with easy access to each other and to relevant information resources. By establishing

communities of practice (CoPs), people who share a passion and/or interest will be able to

come together in a “community” to solve problems, learn from one another, and create new

knowledge. In OPM’s case, this Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy (LKSS) will fulfill the

collaboration strategies of the Communication and Collaboration Plan to bring about the

cultural change described in the Open Culture Plan.

We use the term “knowledge sharing” instead of the traditional “knowledge management”

because we want to emphasize that OPM will not only collect knowledge but will actively share

it to gain the full advantage of the agency’s knowledge resources. Thus, you may occasionally


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see “knowledge management” when we refer to an academic source but we advocate the

stronger, more dynamic practice of “knowledge sharing.”

1.2.1 How Knowledge Sharing Supports OPM’s Strategic Plan

The Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy (LKSS) supports both the Vision and Mission of

the agency’s strategic plan by setting the stage to better develop OPM’s workforce, improve

processes, and become more responsive to our stakeholders. As we move forward in

developing a more collaborative culture, OPM will be able to recruit, retain, and honor a world-

class workforce as well as serve as a model to other agencies in the Federal government. The

LKSS touches on all the values in OPM’s strategic plan, with special emphasis on Respect,

Integrity, Diversity, Excellence and Innovation. The following table highlights how this strategy

supports OPM’s strategic goals:

Table 1: Mapping OPM's Strategic Goals to the LKSS

OPM’s Strategic Goals How LKSS Supports the Strategic Goal

Help agencies recruit and hire the most talented and diverse Federal workforce possible to serve the American people.

CoPs will be formed to develop best practices on recruitment and hiring and share this knowledge throughout the agency. A major part of the LKSS is to inventory existing processes and then refine those processes (such as the Federal hiring process) through collaboration with external stakeholders.

Provide the training, benefits, and work-life balance necessary for Federal employees to succeed, prosper, and advance in their careers.

CoPs provide a focus on continuous learning, training and peer mentoring that will help employees succeed, prosper, and advance. The collaborative practices that employees learn to use will enable them to share knowledge and disseminate best practices within the organization and with other agencies. One possible dissemination channel would be knowledge networks; these are affinity groups that share information about particular topics. The knowledge produced by CoPs and shared through knowledge networks will provide advancement opportunities and forge successful partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.

Ensure the Federal workforce and its leaders are fully accountable, fairly appraised, and have the tools, systems, and resources to perform at the highest levels to achieve superior results.

The Knowledge Management System that supports the LKSS will have business intelligence analytics and dashboards that will provide transparency and accountability on agency processes. The CoPs will create, develop, and disseminate new tools, systems, and resources to aid OPM in performing at its highest levels.

Ensure recognition and reward for exemplary performances of current employees and honor the careers of Federal retirees.

Some of the CoPs will engage in collaboration among OPM employees, contractors, and external stakeholders. We also advocate setting up CoPs for OPM retirees so that we can still access their knowledge for the benefit of new and current OPM employees. CoPs will also be established to


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OPM’s Strategic Goals How LKSS Supports the Strategic Goal

help improve the processes surrounding Federal retirement. COPs will also be given appropriate recognition for solving complex agency problems and exemplary performance.

1.3 Background of the Open Government Team and the Flagship Initiative

The Open Government Memorandum (M-10-06) of December 8, 2009, commonly known as the

Open Government Directive, sets an unprecedented standard for a more transparent,

participatory, and collaborative form of Government. In response to the Directive, OPM

established a governance structure comprising members of the Executive Board and their

respective cross-agency representatives on the Core Team and Component Teams. The

Component Teams comprise members from OPM, academia, nonprofits, other agencies and

the union for the purpose of providing information and ideas to the Core Team. The Core Team

then synthesizes the information from the Component Teams and makes recommendations to

the Executive Board on implementing Open Government at OPM.

Figure 1: Open Government Governance Structure


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Specifically, the Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy (LKSS) is the compilation of ideas

shared by the Flagship Team; they developed the ideas in response to the following problem

statement:

Flagship Initiative – Knowledge sharing is critical for fulfilling and sustaining the

OPM mission: to recruit, retain and honor a world-class workforce to serve the

American people. Currently, OPM is limited in its capability to generate, store,

access, retrieve, manage, preserve and willingly share knowledge and knowledge

resources, formally or informally. OPM is, therefore, impaired in its ability to

collaborate effectively internally, as well as with other agencies and the public,

key elements to OPM's mission success.

This problem statement has guided the conversations, analysis and ideas shared by the Flagship

Team that led to the Core Team proposing the specific solution outlined in this document. It is

also important to note the goals of the LKSS flow from OPM’s Strategic Plan, the Open Culture

Plan and the Communication and Collaboration Plan. We summarize the key points of the Open

Culture Plan and the Communication and Collaboration Plan in the following section.

1.4 Culture Plan Summary

More than 50 members of the Open Government team conducted an analysis of OPM’s current

environment and created a vision of a future open culture. The results of this analysis describe

six thematic areas that our agency needs to focus on to bring openness to OPM:

Risk, change and empowerment

Communication, collaboration, and information

Organizational silos

Training, education and continuous learning

Performance management

Sustainability

To address the six themes, the Core Team made the following recommendations:

Engage and serve external stakeholders better to meet the Agency’s mission

Focus on leadership, management, and performance to find good role models and

strengthen accountability

Foster continuous learning and accept failure as part of learning, which can lead to

innovative solutions to our problems/challenges

Revisit policies, processes and procedures that are barriers to collaboration to

maximize our ability to work together and with stakeholders


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Understand, explain, embrace, live and reward openness to ensure the changes we

bring about are sustainable and create a solid foundation for future initiatives

Use the people, knowledge, and skills we have in place to recruit, retain, and honor

OPM’s own employees, while better serving other Federal employees, job seekers,

annuitants, other agencies and stakeholders

The Communication and Collaboration Plan was identified as a “next step” in the

implementation of the Open Culture Plan and is summarized in the following section.

1.5 Communication and Collaboration Plan Summary

The tangible outcome of the Communication and Collaboration Plan is the establishment of a

sustainable culture of dialogue and collaboration among OPM employees along with external

stakeholders. The following four goals guide the strategies and activities of this plan:

1. Work to remove or reduce organizational silos in ways that will improve employee

productivity and lead to OPM’s more effectively fulfilling its mission.

2. Encourage collaboration with all external stakeholders to improve communication and

satisfaction with OPM.

3. Share information with the general public, Congress, and OMB in ways that create

transparency into all agency programs, services and lines of business.

4. Develop internal and external communication protocols and procedures so that OPM

speaks with one voice, clearly and succinctly.

We developed three communication strategies – Education, Marketing, and Reporting – and

two collaboration strategies – Dialogue and CoPs – to bring about these four goals.

2 WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE SHARING?

The APQC (formally known as the American Productivity and Quality Center) defines knowledge

as “information in action” (O’Dell & Hubert, 2011, p. 2). From that concept comes APQC’s

conception of knowledge management (sharing) as “a systematic effort to enable information

and knowledge to grow, flow, and create value” (O’Dell & Hubert, 2011, p. 2). We will establish

knowledge sharing at OPM to break down organizational silos and create communities of

practice that foster, capture and disseminate explicit and tacit knowledge (defined below).


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We want to construct knowledge sharing in the form of collaboration and learning so that it

becomes a part of OPM’s core organizational structure. This sharing will not be a separate

activity; rather, it will be part of a systemic approach and integral to our daily work processes at

OPM and as we engage with OPM’s stakeholders. Ultimately, knowledge sharing will be as

automatic and routine as breathing for OPM employees, contractors, and external

stakeholders: “Enabling employees to do their work more easily – by collaborating and

capturing and sharing knowledge without an additional burden or interruption on their part – is

doing knowledge management (sharing) in the work flow. Asking employees to stop their work

process to move to another mode to reflect, capture, or share is doing knowledge management

(sharing) out of the work flow” (O’Dell & Hubert, 2011, p. 2). By creating and sharing

knowledge ‘in the flow’ employees will be more willing to make contributions as they will not

see it as adding another duty to their already heavy workload.

2.1 Explicit and Tacit Knowledge

Conceptually, there are two important types of knowledge: explicit and tacit (Nonaka and

Takeuchi, 1995). Explicit knowledge is essentially that which we document. Most often, this is

knowledge in our manuals, standard operating procedures, regulations, memoranda, and so on.

It is essential, but equally important is tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge, unspoken knowledge

used to make judgments, decisions or interpretations, is difficult to document because, for

example, we may not readily recognize it as knowledge or the concept that we would like to

document is difficult to describe. For instance, a book of recipes is explicit knowledge, but it

takes tacit knowledge to interpret the recipes and produce good meals. Tacit and explicit

knowledge are in the process of constant dynamic interaction within the organization:

employees socialize their tacit knowledge, combine explicit knowledge, convert tacit knowledge

into explicit, and internalize explicit knowledge so that it becomes a routine part of their

behaviors.

OPM does a good job documenting explicit knowledge; however, we need to do better in

capturing tacit knowledge for the benefit of the organization and our stakeholders. We can

introduce many knowledge sharing events at OPM to ensure the adopted activities fulfill the

strategic mission of the agency. However, we feel that by (1) increasing the capture and

dissemination of tacit knowledge through encouraging employees to socialize it and convert

tacit knowledge into explicit and (2) increasing the level of collaboration and learning that help

enhance explicit knowledge, OPM will best meet its strategic goals. The following diagram

illustrates the activities we plan to introduce as part of this strategy” (O’Dell & Hubert, 2011, p.

46):


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Figure 2: Converting Tacit Knowledge into Explicit

2.2 Strategy for Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Sharing

Drawing on O’Dell and Hubert’s work (2011, p. 43), the five tenets of OPM’s Learning and

Knowledge Sharing Strategy are:

1. “The [KM] strategy is based on engaging people, process, and technology.” Knowledge

sharing is about people and processes, with technology as an enabler. CoPs will be the

common ground for engagement.

2. “The [KM] strategy contributes to overall organizational goals.” OPM’s strategy will

support the goals of the Open Culture Plan.

3. “Timing is everything.” This means we will concentrate first on creating CoPs and

collaboration. Knowledge sharing tools will be introduced only when the tools will

enhance tested collaboration and learning practices.


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4. “[KM] strategy leverages existing processes and technology.” We want to leverage

existing knowledge sharing practices and fully utilize OPM’s current technology before

introducing new practices and tools. This will make the strategy more cost-effective and

more likely to be adopted by OPM employees, contractors, and stakeholders. The most

effective method for leveraging is through CoPs.

5. “The strategy will transform the perception and value of KM” ” (O’Dell & Hubert, 2011,

p. 43). Key to the fifth tenet is incorporating as much of the LKSS strategy in employees’

workflow as possible. OPM produces explicit knowledge well but we need better

methods for accessing tacit knowledge. Equally important is developing methods to

capture, store, and disseminate tacit and explicit knowledge.

These tenets are embodied throughout the following sections of this document and will be

used to initiate, grow, and sustain learning and knowledge sharing at OPM. In the next section,

we describe the fundamental structure – communities of practice – that will be the foundation

for other learning and knowledge sharing activities.

2.3 OPM’s Current Knowledge Management/Sharing Maturity Level

The APQC developed a Knowledge Management Maturity Model to help organizations

determine how well they share and manage knowledge. At Level One, the organization realizes

that its knowledge assets are scattered throughout the organization and that knowledge

sharing is infrequent at best. As the organization moves up the levels, it identifies and makes

knowledge assets accessible throughout the organization. Thus, at Level Two, the organization

has local pockets of repeatable best practices while, at Level Three, the organization is starting

to standardize these best practices. The organization begins to optimize its processes at Level

Four. At Level Five, all of the organization’s knowledge is easily shared by all members of the

organization and collaboration is used to continually improve the organization’s processes.

OPM is somewhere between Levels 2 and 3 of the Knowledge Management Maturity Model.

The full implementation of the LKSS will move OPM to Level 5, allowing OPM to realize the

strategic goals of OPM’s Strategic Plan because we will effectively capture and share knowledge

to improve the agency’s processes.


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Figure 3: Knowledge Management Maturity Model

2.4 Organizational Structure

A major barrier to knowledge sharing and collaboration at OPM is the agency’s current

organizational structure. OPM’s functional structure helps people know where to go for subject

matter expertise, information, crisis intervention, products and/or services. However, this sort

of vertical structure with deep subject matter expertise creates organizational silos that inhibit

knowledge sharing and collaboration. OPM’s silos contain pockets of excellence and best

practices but these are neither accessible nor shared across the agency.

A siloed organization also runs a greater risk of creating redundant functions, processes, and

systems. These redundancies increase the organization’s costs; funding at OPM is currently

quite limited and likely to remain so for years to come.

We see a true opportunity to realize the benefits of learning and knowledge sharing by

overlaying networks over the current hierarchical structure of OPM. An additional benefit to

this proposed new structure is that we can make better use of limited resources by using the

networks to refine agency processes. A horizontal structure will support the formation and

continuity of cross-functional CoPs. A recommendation regarding implementation of this

horizontal structure and performance management strategies is forthcoming to the Executive

Board. CoPs will be invaluable as they cut across the silos, bring people together to solve

complex agency problems, promote continuous learning and teach employees to collaborate

throughout the agency regardless of subject-matter expertise.

It is also vital that we learn to communicate as “one OPM” because our stakeholders view us as

a single agency. Many of the people we serve have complex problems that cannot be solved in

just one functional office, so we can be more responsive to our stakeholders, we must share


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knowledge across organizational silos. Our processes also will become more effective as we

learn to handle the handoffs between the silos and avoid the problem of solutions becoming

lost as we “toss them over the fences” that surround our functional areas.

3 COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

As defined in the Communication and Collaboration Plan, CoPs are “groups of people who share

a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and

expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002,

p. 4.) There are CoPs in OPM that have organized on their own, but without formal support

from OPM’s executive leadership, these informal CoPs will not realize their full potential, and

without strategic guidance they will fail to align their goals and activities with OPM’s mission.

The benefits of CoPs are too valuable for them not to be the basis of OPM’s knowledge sharing

strategy. By formalizing the CoP creation and nurturing process, OPM will (O’Dell & Hubert,

2011, p. 62):

“Provide the means to translate local know-how into global collective knowledge”

“Help employees exchange ideas, collaborate, and learn from one another,” thus

creating a shared repertoire of practices and shared culture

“Transcend boundaries created by work flow, functions, geography, and time”

“Enable the speed and innovation needed for . . . leadership”

3.1 Process for Creating and Growing CoPs

Formally establishing, growing, and maintaining a CoP is a complex process. Drawing on O’Dell

and Hubert’s work (2011, p. 62), we recommend a separate document be produced to establish

the details of the creation of CoPs at OPM and to train employees and stakeholders in Action

Learning (discussed in the following section). This section describes the basic process for

establishing CoPs, starting with the 10 key traits of successful CoPs:

1. “A compelling, clear value proposition for all involved”

2. “A dedicated skilled facilitator or leader”

3. “A coherent, comprehensive knowledge map for the core content of the community”

4. “An outlined, easy-to-follow knowledge sharing process”

5. “An appropriate technology medium that facilitates knowledge exchange, retrieval, and

collaboration”


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6. “Communication and training plans for members and interested stakeholders”

7. “An up-to-date dynamic roster of community members”

8. “Several key metrics of success to show results”

9. “A recognition plan for participants”

10. “An agenda of critical topics to cover for the first – and next – three to six months of

existence”

All CoPs go through a common lifecycle, even if their lifespans differ. OPM’s informal CoPs that

arise without organizational support need to be inventoried to determine their stage in the

lifecyle. For CoPs created and supported by OPM, we recommend they follow Snyder and

Briggs’ (2003) model, which identifies the following stages:

Discovering the potential

Coalescing

Maturity/Growth

Advocacy/Stewardship

Transformation

Each stage has a number of associated goals and activities or tasks. For example, OPM’s current

stage is “discovering the potential.” In this stage, OPM should seek to identify issues that the

CoPs will address and align these issues with strategic objectives of the agency and members’

interests. Activities and tasks would include approving the CoP strategy and identifying the

target population; recruiting CoP leadership to form a steering committee, along with

champions; defining the roles of the executive sponsor so as to leverage his or her influence;

recruiting participants, e.g., via email; identifying key needs and issues for the CoP to address

via online surveys; and identifying key content areas for the CoP’s Web site. The final set of

activities and tasks under “discovering the potential” is to create a charter for the CoP and (if

needed) train members on how to use the collaboration platform collectively.

As described below, we will support the CoPs through a collaboration platform in OPM’s

forthcoming Knowledge Management System. We need an online platform to offer additional

communication channels and to capture the explicit and tacit knowledge created by the CoPs.

The following diagram describes how the collaboration platform will support OPM’s CoPs:


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Figure 4: Supporting CoPs with a Collaboration Platform

3.2 Action Learning and Communities of Practice

Action Learning (AL) is the approach used by all the teams in OPM’s Open Government effort

because it models the type of collaboration and dialogue we would like to see implemented

throughout the agency. This cross-agency, collaborative team approach allows members to

learn a great deal from one another in a short period of time, while solving real problems and

developing new ways of fulfilling OPM’s mission with openness in mind: “Action learning

contains a well-tested framework that enables people to effectively and efficiently learn and to

simultaneously handle difficult, real-life situations” (Marquardt, 1999, p. 4).

AL is a simple but powerful model. First, a group is formed to consider a single but complex

organizational problem. Second, the problem is presented to the group. In the third stage, the

group explores the problem to determine if it needs to be reframed so the real, underlying

issue can be addressed. Fourth, the group establishes goals that will solve the reframed

problem and then, fifth, devises action strategies to solve it. In the sixth stage, the group takes

action. Throughout the six stages of AL, the group captures the lessons it learns while tackling

the problem (Marquardt, 1999, pp. 12-13).

AL has enabled the Open Government teams to think creatively about innovative methods to

overcome the barriers that impede Open Government at OPM. The team members started with

an inductive inquiry to define the problem and then solve it through planned action


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(Marquardt, 1999). During the process, team members also reflected on how they learned so

they could develop as problem solvers. These learnings are documented and shared with other

teams as best practices.

Like the Open Government teams, the CoPs will use the Action Learning (AL) approach.

Members will be trained in the AL process and Open Government team members will serve as

AL mentors to the CoPs. With AL, the CoPs will be focused on the most important, cross-cutting

problems at OPM and will devise solutions to benefit the entire agency. AL will also ensure that

best practices and tacit knowledge are captured for dissemination by the knowledge networks

to all of OPM’s stakeholders.

AL supports OPM’s Strategic Plan through problem solving, organizational learning, team

building, leadership development, and professional growth/career development (Marquardt,

1999, p. 5). These benefits are best realized in groups, which is why we advocate CoPs as the

foundation for the Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy (LKSS). CoPs are the key to the

success of OPM’s LKSS and AL the key to the success of OPM’s CoPs.

4 SUCCESSION PLANNING

An equally compelling reason for establishing CoPs as soon as possible is the immediate issue of

succession planning. Over the next few years, nearly 30 percent of OPM employees in

Corporate Leadership Positions are projected to terminate their employment with OPM

through retirement or other attrition. The possible loss of institutional knowledge is potentially

devastating to the organization. Without an effective strategy for learning and sharing

knowledge, OPM’s ability to execute its mission could suffer. Additionally, when this exodus of

corporate intelligence is coupled with a rapidly changing work environment, an even more

urgent need to establish systems for capturing the knowledge of these key employees becomes

evident.

Thus, the need for CoPs is great. OPM needs to capture not only explicit knowledge but also the

tacit knowledge that is best acquired through mentoring and CoPs. Individual mentoring will be

a vital part of succession planning, but CoPs can provide opportunities for group and peer

mentoring. Another advantage of CoPs is that they transform explicit knowledge and tacit

knowledge into dynamic bodies of knowledge that is continually refined by the members of the

CoPs. For the most impact, the knowledge captured by exiting leaders will be processed and

actively disseminated by the CoPs. The learning and experience gained through CoPs is an

effective way to develop leaders of the future.


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5 KNOWLEDGE SHARING TECHNOLOGY

The Flagship Team had numerous discussions prior to submitting ideas for the development of

this strategy. In those discussions, team members established several principles for the

adoption of technology to support OPM’s knowledge sharing activities:

1. Tools will be stood up only when the users express the need for a tool.

2. No tool will be selected until a thorough requirements analysis is conducted.

3. Existing software applications will be considered first before introducing new tools into

OPM’s business processes.

4. Every effort will be made to integrate the knowledge sharing tools into employees’

current ways that they work.

We have learned that past knowledge management efforts failed because the tools were stood

up first before determining employees’ needs. For example, this was Federal Aviation

Administration’s (FAA) experience back in 1996 to 1998:

The first thing that FAA decided to do was to install some collaborative software

technology solutions in response to this challenge [establishing knowledge

management at FAA]. This was a classic case of “build it, and they will not come,”

as a technical team installed a technology solution without there being any

dialogue with the business users about what their preferences or suggestions for

possible approaches might be. Inevitably the technology-first approach hit a

brick wall, and Ron [Simmons] and his team came to the conclusion that finding

out more about the collaborative processes might actually have been a better

place to start (Sinclair, 2006, p. 136).

Based on the principles and a preliminary inventory of current software tools, the Flagship

Team decided that combining Theo (OPM’s intranet) with OPM’s external web site will create a

good platform to support the various knowledge management tools. We provide a high-level

view of OPM’s proposed knowledge management system, with a document to follow that will

provide specific requirements.

5.1 THEO 2.0

OPM has several existing knowledge management tools such as Moodle, Serena Business

Mashups, and so on. Currently, these tools are limited for use by small groups in OPM. Each has

useful features for some knowledge management/sharing activities but no one tool can provide


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all of the required features. Thus, we suggest a “federated” approach in which a redesigned

Theo will serve as a common entry point to various knowledge management solutions. The best

analogy is the current apps market for smart phones. Theo 2.0 will be the portal in which the

various knowledge sharing modules (KSMs) present a web-based interface. Each of the KSMs

will be designed to share their data among other KSMs through application programming

interfaces (API) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) data feeds. Thus, new KSMs will be

added to Theo 2.0, while existing KSMs can be easily upgraded or retired. Stakeholders will also

be able to customize Theo 2.0 with the KSMs most relevant to their work.

Each of the sections below briefly describes the various foundational components of Theo 2.0.

5.2 FAQs

OPM established interactive frequently asked questions (FAQs) in 2010 that have proven

successful with the public. We want to expand the use of the FAQs so that they can better serve

as an internal knowledge resource and provide better stakeholder engagement.

5.3 Enhanced Directory

Along with OPM’s FAQs, we currently have an organizational directory available on OPM’s

public web site. The Open Government team has a plan to improve the directory and connect it

to an enhanced directory based on function/mission and not just organizational points of

contact. This will also be available internally.

5.4 Document Management and Records Management

The current document management system (DMS) is a stand-alone system. For better

compliance with record management and FOIA regulations, DMS will be replaced with a

solution that will integrate into the document creation workflow. For example, a user will

create a Word document and then use the new document management system to

automatically tag and route the document through the appropriate workflow. At the same

time, the document will be stored in an approved area with an organizationally approved

common naming convention and automatically managed in accordance with OPM’s records

schedules.

5.5 Learning Connection

Learning Connection, a set of professional development online tutorials, was introduced in

2011 as an organization-wide training platform. It is currently available through Theo. In Theo


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2.0, Learning Connection will be expanded to support the training necessary to support the

CoPs by becoming collaborative using Action Learning techniques. The Open Government team

will provide a set of tutorials on Action Learning to help employees understand and use the

concepts in their CoP activities.

5.6 Idea Factory

Idea Factory, an online employee suggestion tool, was introduced in 2011 and will be available

through Theo 2.0. Some CoPs will be formed to collaborate and implement the more complex

ideas introduced through Idea Factory that have agency-wide implications.

5.7 Mentor Connect

Mentor Connect is a future tool to support OPM’s mentoring program. The tool allows for

matching mentors and mentees through career interests and managing the administrative

details for mentoring interactions. There will also be features that will support online

mentoring from staff external to OPM.

5.8 Content Management

The current practice of posting to OPM’s public web site is a long and involved process that

requires numerous interactions. In Theo 2.0, we will automate the process of publishing to the

public web so that program offices can be more responsive to external stakeholders. Approved

documents will then be available to the public in almost “real time.” The content management

system will be accessible through Theo 2.0.

5.9 Business Analytics and Process Intelligence

Theo 2.0 will support OPM’s performance management efforts by providing a centralized

repository where CoPs will discover, inventory, and record business processes for discovering

best practices and provide transparency on OPM’s business practices. We will create

dashboards to measure and report on the efficiencies of OPM’s processes and help make those

processes more effective. There are many metrics in OPM’s Strategic Plan that will be

contained in the dashboards, such as:

A decrease in the end-to-end hiring time for job applicants.

Increased percentage of security and suitability investigations and adjudications that

meet quality and timeliness standards.


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Increased percentage of Federal employees who report satisfaction with work-life

programs.

Increased efficiencies of retirement processing.

The goal is to make available as much real-time data as possible to improve decision making

and the ability to react quickly to evolving issues or events.

5.10 Collaboration Platform for CoPs

A major component of Theo 2.0 will be an online collaboration platform for OPM’s CoPs. The

tool will allow the CoPs to maintain their documents, rosters and lessons learned. The

collaboration platform will also offer online synchronous meetings, discussion boards, blogs,

and a wiki to contain the body of knowledge created by the COP. Theo 2.0’s CoP collaboration

platform will support internal and external stakeholders who will make up the various

communities. The collaboration platform will allow an online collaboration site to be quickly

created and will support role-based logins so that stakeholders will have the ability to

participate in and lead the different CoPs to which they belong.

6 MEASURING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

We recommend the Open Government Team determine whether the knowledge sources and

strategies surveyed in 2006 and listed in the Appendix still exist. This was OPM’s first

knowledge audit, and we want to validate and update the state of the 2006 knowledge assets

so we will have a better understanding of OPM’s current store of knowledge assets. We will

also investigate current OPM metrics to determine if they can be used in measuring the

progress of OPM’s LKSS.

We will then develop four sets of metrics to measure the effectiveness of the Learning and

Knowledge Sharing Strategy as we implement the activities to achieve this plan. Each of the

metrics must meet the following principles (O’Dell & Hubert, 2011, pp. 143-144):

“Align KM with [OPM’s] organizational strategy”

“Determine progress” of the various activities

“Prioritize KM” activities

“Evaluate and communicate about performance”

“Gauge behavioral changes and acceptance of KM as [an organizational] practice.”

The first set of metrics will be the milestones that each CoP will have as part of the activities’

individual project plans. We expect that some of the individual activities will generate their own


18

metrics, such as use of the tool, efficiency of the process, and other similar self-generated

metrics. For example, we currently use “the number of ideas produced” as a set of measures

associated with Idea Factory. Also within those measures for Idea Factory are a number of

comments, average ratings, and so on that describe employees’ usage of the tool.

The second set of metrics will be a series of polls, surveys, and interviews. These will range from

single-question polls that will be presented with the relevant tools, to questions on the

Employee Viewpoint Survey, to in-depth focused interviews in the CoPs. Along with

quantitative surveys, we also plan to use qualitative surveys in the Virtual Town Halls and

Roundtables. An example of this is the short survey used in the FAQ section to determine how

useful the FAQ was in answering the stakeholder’s question.

As the communities of practice start to mature, we will also rely on their self-reported activities

to measure the growth of OPM’s collaborative culture. We will analyze the activity and content

generated by the various CoPs as another way to assess growth. This will be our third set of

metrics. Because the CoPs will use action learning, they will have a collection of learnings that

can be analyzed and summarized for best practices. Through self-reporting and 360-degree

feedback we will also measure individual employees’ training and development progress.

The fourth and final set of metrics will explore how well the activities of the LKSS fulfill OPM’s

strategic goals. As illustrated in Table 1, we link the activities of the LKSS to specific parts of

OPM’s Strategic Plan. Throughout the implementation of this plan, we will use the previous

three sets of metrics, plus an additional set to determine how well the LKSS is fulfilling OPM’s

Strategic Plan. With these four sets of metrics, we will chart the growth and acceptance of

OPM’s learning and knowledge sharing strategy, along with its overall impact on OPM.

The evaluation of knowledge sharing will consist of a multi-phased approach that includes

setting objectives, developing evaluation strategies (to include identifying responder groups

and developing survey research plans for all these groups, as well as developing a data analysis

plan and a communication plan), designing surveys (developing survey items and validating the

surveys), launching the survey (monitoring response rates, and, when necessary, following up

with non-responders), and analyzing and interpreting data.

7 MARKETING THE KNOWLEDGE SHARING PROGRAM

It will take a sustained and constant effort to integrate knowledge sharing into OPM’s processes

and culture. In the Communication and Collaboration Plan, we have outlined how we will

communicate the Open Culture plan. We will use the same communication activities to market

the learning and knowledge sharing (KS) strategy. To aid the communication efforts, we will use


19

the following marketing matrix in shaping our messages for specific audiences. The matrix was

originally developed by McKeen and Smith and later adapted by APQC to reflect the concepts in

Sinclair’s 2006 volume:

Table 2: Marketing Activity Matrix

Tier 1

Basic Knowledge Needs

Tier 2

Enabling Knowledge Needs

Tier 3

Strategic Knowledge Needs

Objectives Establish KS Competencies Establish knowledge as a service enabler

Establish knowledge as a business imperative

Audience Knowledge workers Business and process managers Senior managers

Marketing Spin KS manages what we know KS grows what we know KS helps build new capabilities

Strategies - Deliver existing information better

- Partner with existing projects

- Promote improved IM practices

- Establish better content integration e.g., data, records, web, corporate knowledge, etc.

- Embed KS into business processes

- Help solve strategic problems - Help improve decision-

making capacity - Build business capability

KS Competencies

- Analysis and packaging of information

- Effective IM practices

- Knowledge analysis - Knowledge enabled business

processes - E-content management

- Culture evolution - Community evolution - Service evolution

Obstacles KS is seen as being too fuzzy to manage

KS is seen as being too broad to manage

KS is seen as being a technology issue only

Success Criteria

KS is included in any projects

KS is included from a process improvement perspective

KS strategy aligns and is integrated with business strategy

KS’s Role Knowledge supplier Knowledge service provider Knowledge business partner

8 CONCLUSION

OPM’s success in meeting its strategic goals is dependent upon how well we share knowledge

and collaborate both internally and externally with stakeholders. The outcome of this learning

and sharing will enable a more engaged workforce that together, through their synergy, can

make process improvements to better fulfill our mission and service our stakeholders. That is

why communities of practice and action learning are the foundation of the LKSS. We believe

that OPM’s learning and knowledge sharing efforts will be successful because our focus is on

people and processes rather than technology. By focusing on strengthening collaboration and

learning in OPM’s culture, while using technology as an enabler, we will avoid the pitfalls that

have plagued other agencies as they have implemented knowledge management systems.

OPM’s success with implementing this strategy will serve as a model to the other Federal


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agencies we serve in our capacity as the government’s human resources office and help us

recruit, retain, and honor America’s Federal workforce.


21

9 REFERENCES

Huff, R. (2011). Measuring performance in US municipalities: Do personnel policies predict

system level outcomes. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 13(1), 11-33.

Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies

create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press.

O’Dell, C., & Hubert, C. (2011). The new edge in knowledge: How knowledge management is

changing the way we do business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

Marquardt, M. (1999). Action learning in action. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publication.

Saint-Onge, H., & Wallace, D. (2003). Leveraging communities of practice for strategic

advantage. Boston: Butterworth and Heinemann.

Sinclair, N. (2006). Stealth KM: Winning knowledge management strategies for the public

sector. Boston: Butterworth and Heinemann.

Snyder, W.M., & Briggs, X.S. (2003). Communities of practice: A new tool for government

managers. Retrieved April 20, 2011 from

http://www.businessofgovernment.org/sites/default/files/Communities%20of%20Practi

ces.odf_.pdf

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston,

MA: Harvard Business School Press.

OPM Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy Appendix: 2006 Survey of OPM Key Knowledge Areas and KM

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APPENDIX – 2006 SURVEY OF OPM KEY KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND KM STRATEGIES

Strategic Human Resources Policy Division

(Now mostly Employee Services. Some functions now fall under Planning and Policy Analysis, Healthcare and Insurance, Chief Information Officer, and Retirement Services.)

Key Knowledge Areas

KM Strategies implemented

within the past year to

document and/or share this

knowledge

Chief Actuary functions/requirements

Federal performance budgeting, program integration

Employee benefits and work/life programs

Legislative drafting and process

Retirement benefits policy development and administration

Federal and non-Federal pay and performance programs and

policies

Database concepts, data presentation and data manipulation

Industrial/Organizational/Social Psychology; measurement

theory, psychometric methodology, and statistics

Employment, labor, and suitability law (including case law)

and policy

Federal level HR staffing and classification policy (legislation,

regulations, policy manuals)

Recruitment and candidate examining (evaluation) laws,

policies, regulations, court decisions, and operations

Occupational analysis, competency profile development and

assessment tools

Executive resources, the rules and legislation affecting SES

recruitment, placement, pay, and retention

HR Information Systems

Creation of SOPs

Creation of Training Manuals and

Job Aids

Yellow Pages

Knowledge Center


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Human Capital Leadership and Merit System Accountability Division

(Now Merit System Audit & Compliance.)

Key knowledge areas

KM Strategies implemented within

the past year to document and/or

share this knowledge

Human Capital leadership

Human Resource management (hiring and recruiting)

Scoring

President’s Management Agenda

Standard Operating Procedures

Leadership guidance

Compliance, merit system accountability deliverables

(Adjudication function: FLSA, classification, pay and

leave claims)

Strategic Plan deliverables

Executive Core Qualifications

Systems knowledge- tracking, data management, design

and development of tools for Federal

Governmentwide use

Creation of SOPs

Creation of Training Manuals and/or Job

Aids

Knowledge Harvesting

After Actions Reviews

Knowledge Sharing Workshops

Peer Assists

Communities of Practice

Identify and Sharing Best Practices

Knowledge Center (shared LAN

directories and THEO)


24

Office of the General Counsel

Key knowledge areas

KM Strategies implemented within

the past year to document and/or

share this knowledge

Retirement program (advice/counsel/litigation)

FEHB, FEGLI, FLTCP (advice/counsel/litigation)

Compensation and benefits (advice/counsel/litigation)

Ethics (advice/counsel/training)

Labor relations (advice/counsel/litigation)

Merit System Protection Board (litigation)

Reconsideration/intervention function (appellate litigation)

EEO (advice/counsel/litigation)

FOIA/PA (advice/counsel/administrative

appeals/litigation)

E-Gov (advice/counsel)

Budget, personnel, performance management

Creation of Training Manuals and/or

Job Aids


Peer Assists

Yellow Pages


Identifying and Sharing Best Practices


25

Management Services Division

(Now part of Employee Services, Chief Information Officer, and Facilities, Security & Contracting.)

Key knowledge areas


within the past year to

document and/or share this

knowledge

Information, physical, industrial, and operations security,

intelligence and protective operations

Continuity of Government, Continuity of Operations, Occupant

Emergency Planning, Shelter-in-Place Planning and testing

and training exercises, Federal Operating Status Planning,

National Response Plan, National Incident Management

System

National security investigations, personnel security, and security

suitability adjudication actions

Protective operations, critical infrastructure assessments

(HSPD-6), law enforcement and intelligence community

liaison.

Office and facility assessments

Building Operations: parking, cafeteria/snack bar, pest control,

landscaping, trash removal/hazardous waste, recycling

Contracting competition and acquisition planning

Socioeconomic programs

General contracting requirements, special categories, and

outsourcing

Human Resources management and Strategic Human Capital

management laws, regulations, policies, and operations


Equal Employment Opportunity Laws, regulations, policies

Mediation, counseling, EEO investigations

Creation of SOPs

Creation of Training Manuals

and/or Job Aids

Developmental Assignments

Yellow Pages

Knowledge Centers


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Human Resources Line of Business (HRLOB)

(Now located in the Office of the Chief Information Officer.)

Key knowledge areas


within the past year to document

and/or share this knowledge

HRLOB Transformation Leadership and Management

HRLOB strategic leadership, governance,

implementation strategies, and cross-agency

collaboration

HRLOB Shared Service Center selection,

establishment, and operation

HRLOB consolidation and standardization

Agency migration requirements and processes and

actual migrations to SSCs

HRLOB Enterprise Architecture design,

development, and documentation

HRLOB funding mechanisms, MOU development,

negotiation, and management

HRLOB performance management, Service Level

Agreement design, development, establishment, and

oversight

Earned Value Management knowledge and expertise

Training systems in the Federal Government

e-Payroll Consolidation and Migration Management

e-Payroll strategic leadership, governance, and

implementation strategies

e-Payroll migration oversight and management

e-Payroll performance management

EHRI Implementation Leadership and Management

EHRI strategic leadership, governance,

implementation strategies, and cross-agency

collaboration

EHRI product and service design, development,

implementation, and operation

EHRI performance management and customer

service

Creation of SOPs

Creation of Training Manuals and/or

Job Aids


Peer Assists

Yellow Pages


Identifying and Sharing Best

Practices

Knowledge Centers

Other: HRLOB shared drives and

Quick Place Collaboration Tool


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Human Resources Products and Services

(Now Human Resources Solutions.)

Key knowledge areas

Strategies implemented within the

past year to document and/or share

this knowledge

Leadership Development Centers: content

development/administration of seminars and

programs

Leadership succession planning programs:

administration of programs and events

Federal retirement and insurance programs

Executive core competencies

Project and personnel management

Budget formulation and execution

Federal procurement/contract negotiation skills

Employee/labor relations

Strategic planning

Auditing

Staff acquisition, HR strategy, Nationwide Testing, HR

information technology, and Voting Rights

Federal HR marketplace

Industrial/organizational psychology matters; individual

and organizational assessment, measurement/testing,

litigation/EEO, occupational analysis, competency

modeling, survey design and analysis, automated

content analysis, program evaluation, pay-for-

performance demonstration projects, and Title 5

regulations

TMA Business Process, IDIQ re-compete

GFIS and ProTrac Financial System Interface

Consultative-based selling methods

USAStaffing

Creation of SOPs

Creation of Training Manuals and/or Job

Aids


Phased Retirement

Retirees as Contractors/Consultants

Rehired Annuitants


After-Action Reviews


Peer Assists

Yellow Pages


Identifying and Sharing Best Practices

Knowledge Centers

Co-op Program

Acting assignments by staff members in

leadership positions


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Federal Investigative Services Division

Key knowledge areas

Strategies implemented within

the past year to document


Revision and maintenance of standard forms, regulations and

other critical documents.

Federal Personnel Security Investigations Program Background

Investigations and Reinvestigations

PIPS system, case processing, database display, and database

modify

Contractor and suitability adjudication

FOIA/PA regulations and procedures/furnishing affidavits and

testifying at hearings and/or court proceedings in defense of

Privacy decisions

Information security/classified processing

Case Information Request System

National Agency Check processes and procedures

Local Agency Check processes and procedures

Law Enforcement liaison

Law Table maintenance and scheduling

Research and development initiatives

Legislation and on-going legal initiatives

Assessment, design, development, delivery and evaluation of

continuing education courses

Federal Acquisition Regulations

Contract development and oversight

Case review

Policy interpretation and distribution

Contractor performance analysis and reporting

Contractor fieldwork distribution and workload analysis

Contractor FTE management

Contractor audit program

PMA/human capital issues

OPM Strategic and Operational Plan

Continuity of Government and Operations

Product and services pricing

Organizational performance measurement

Competitive sourcing reviews

Internal controls and risk management

Interagency agreements

Financial management and budget

Creation of SOPs


and/or Job Aids


Rehired Annuitants




Peer Assists

Yellow Pages



Practices

Knowledge Centers


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Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Key knowledge areas

Strategies implemented within

the past year to document


OMB Circular A-50, audit follow-up requirements

OPM A-123, internal control over financial reporting

OPM Risk Management Inventory and High Risk List

Audit Follow-up Tracking System (AFTS)

OPM Financial Management Manual (FMM)

Government Performance and Results Act

Federal Manager’s Financial Integrity Act of 1982

Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996

Chief Financial Officer’s Act of 1990

Clinger/Cohen Act of 1996

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

OMB Circular A-127, OMB Circular A-130

Treasury’s USSGL

JFMIP core financial systems requirements

OPM Directives Management Initiative, and related

operational plans, schedules, controls, and issues

Strategic Planning

Performance budget planning and execution

Performance and Accountability Reporting


Budget and performance integration, including preparation of

PARTs, full and marginal cost analysis

OMB requirements; submission of budget

Congressional budget preparation and submission

Operating plan development

Monthly and quarterly budget reviews

Common services methodology

Federal budget process

Benefits trust funds

Creation of SOPs


and/or Job Aids


Rehired Annuitants


Exit Interviews





Practices

Knowledge Centers

June 2011

Learning and Knowledge Sharing Strategy

Version 1.0

CIO-01598-06

United StateS Office Of PerSOnnel ManageMent

Chief Information Officer1900 E Street, NW

Washington, DC 20415

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